Yahoo Finance Footage of Workers Unexpectedly Trapped with Silverback Gorilla in Enclosure Goes Viral as Zoo Responds
Guests watched in shock as the two zookeepers navigated their way to safety after a mishap left them enclosed with the gorilla
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Stock image of a gorilla from the Fort Worth ZooIn October, two keepers at the Fort Worth Zoo found themselves in an enclosure with a silverback gorilla
The situation went viral after footage of the tense moments filmed by zoo guests was shared on TikTok
The Fort Worth Zoo reports both keepers are safe and navigated the situation per their training
Footage of a scary moment for two Texas zoo keepers is going viral after they found themselves in an enclosure with a silverback gorilla.
The video shows the gorilla, Elmo, being released back into his enclosure at the Fort Worth Zoo, where two zookeepers were actively working. One quickly jogs across the space to an area with a door and calmly closes the frame. (Watch the video here.)
The gorilla can be seen following her shadow as she moves through the back area, with zoo guests watching in fear and praying for the other zookeeper's safety.
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The other zoo keeper watches the movement and carefully navigates the space, being sure not to catch Elmo's eye. When he is distracted, she was able to jog across to the same door space the first keeper disappeared behind.
A representative for the Fort Worth Zoo tells PEOPLE, "On Oct. 20, 2023, an incident led to two of our zookeepers sharing space with our 34-year-old silverback gorilla. Thankfully, there was no physical contact between keepers and gorilla; and all staff and animals are safe."
"Every day, the zookeepers shift the gorilla troop into their indoor habitat so that keepers can place the animals’ lunch in their outdoor habitat. Due to keeper error, staff entered the yard unaware that the silverback was still in its habitat," the statement reads.
"The zookeepers work with and train these animals every day and thanks to their knowledge and expertise, they navigated the situation calmly and were able to exit the yard safely."
Elmo first came to the Fort Worth Zoo a few years ago from the Buffalo Zoo, where he was born. Elmo became a father for the second time since being in Fort Worth last month, welcoming a baby girl named Jameela, who joins his sons Bruno, 3, and Gus, who turned 8 in December.
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